Romance of Dragons and Snakes

Chapter 120: When Fighting, First Strike At Their Courage!

Legend has it that when a Daoist practiced breathing, they would gain supernatural senses afterwards. They would be able to see their internal organs, the energy channels underneath their skin, blood vessels and even their own palm profiles. Everything could be seen clearly and distinctively almost as if they could see through their entire person. This was the technique of Inner Sight.

Naturally, the eyes of a human was not capable of truly seeing through things. But an expert who had learned to breathe to refine his internal organs could feel every single minute change to it to the point where he could mentally visualize every single change to perfection. This was the level of being extremely familiar with one’s body.

“Seeing without seeing.”

This was an ideology of Zen Buddhism in regards to opening up the mind’s eye.

Using the physical eye was vulnerable to illusions and could not distinguish fake from true. Using the mind’s eye would ignore any illusions completely.

A blind person could not see. But in their hearts, they were far more perspicacious than any person with sight.

For a practitioner, after they brought their Jin through their internal organs, they would be able to eliminate any distracting thoughts with each inhale and exhale. Through this, they would be extremely perceptive of their inner organs. With time, one would inevitably be extremely understanding of their inner organs to the point of being able to understand it better than being able to see it with their physical eyes. This was what it mean to have reached a point of “Inner Sight”.

In the future, if the inner organs were to ever become ill, then a person with the Inner Sight would be able to “see” it and develop the proper countermeasures and treatment.

Only the person who drinks the water knows if it is hot or cold. This was what it meant to truly cultivate.

In the process of training martial arts, learning to fight and kill was secondary. The methodology of cultivation had already attained the next level and truly helped prolong one’s life.

The Hidden Jin underwater was like an innumerable amount of enemies, each one struck out at any possible part of the body.

Wang Chao brought the lead ball around his body as a way to circulate his Jin in a perfect rotation. As his entire body began to use the Listening Jin of Taichi to neutralize the hidden water currents, he felt as if he was a fish swimming in the water without feeling any obstructions in his path.

For four or five days straight under the gentle temperatures, the ocean had been quite gentle underneath the peaceful waves. Wang Chao had already gotten used to the nature of water. By now, he could hold the lead ball and perform a series of palm movement of Baguazhang before finally coming up for air.

Each movement had involved the lung. Gathering his spirit, Wang Chao had finally been able of “Inner Sight”. He could “see” his own lungs and every single vein and pulmonary alveolus. But the heart, liver and gallbladder, spleen, intestines, and the others were still very fuzzy. He had no sense of them, which made sense since he was not familiar with them.

In these days, Zhao Xinglong had followed Wang Chao’s oceanside practice. But his martial arts was too far away from Wang Chao’s. Zhao Xinglong had not been able to master his Hidden Jin and permeate it into his organs and through his pores.

But after making a complete recovery from having his bones broken by Miyagi Hanshin, Zhao Xinglong had thrown away everything and practiced diligently. Under this single-minded effort, his improvement rate had been exceedingly fast. His main discipline was Bajiquan and also dabbled in Pigua and Tongbeiquan. He had originally reached a level of mastery with them, but because his practice had not been pure, his skill with Bajiquan had lost his essence and was very hard to improve afterwards.

But these days, Wang Chao had managed to grope his way around the “Hengha” sounds of Bajiquan and teach it to Zhao Xinglong step by step.

Gradually, Zhao Xinglong had begun to gain a level of understanding of the higher echelons of martial arts. Each palm and each foot had let out a crisp sound almost he was bringing a whip through the air.

“In these four years, I have lived comfortably in both society and university which whittled away at my determination. As a result, my martial arts declined, and if I were fighting in the underground rings at that point, then I surely wouldn’t have lost so easily to the hands of the Japanese!”

Zhao Xinglong suddenly brought his elbow out with his right arm like a bullet. A slapping sound could be heard clearly as his palm broke the surface of the ocean and sprayed water everywhere.

The waves after that grew even more violent and assaulted Zhao Xinglong’s face as he stood belly deep within the waters. His legs dug violently into the sand as he steadied his position. His palms stuck to his robes before breaking out with Jin. Each fist struck again and again along with his robes for a gust of wind to appear. Sharp and clear, the waves broke apart with a melodious sound as the hand and wave met.

This was the way to break out with Jin in Tongbei. Tongbei emphasized staying close to the clothes to break out with a popping sound. Each sound had to do with the strike. Bajiquan, Piguaquan, and Tongbeiquan. Zhao Xinglong grew even more proficient with them the more he practiced. In his heart, he grew happier and happier as he was borne anew from the dispirited mood he once had.

In that time where he had lost to the Japanese martial artists, Zhao Xinglong’s martial arts had already degraded. After several years of an easygoing campus life and a career as a white collar, Zhao Xinglong had grown decadent. But now, Wang Chao had stirred his emotions once more and allowed him to set his foot back onto the proper path to seek martial arts.

“Why are the waves growing stronger and stronger? There’s a heavy wind as well, and rain too? Crap, a storm’s coming!”

Zhao Xinglong immediately realized that the waves were growing higher and higher and stronger and stronger. Even in his horse stance, he was forced back several steps.

His martial arts had been vast improvements. In his horse stance, even the ordinary person would be incapable of making him move. But now, his mind was extremely vigilant with this scene. Tilting his head up, he could see a curtain of water come crashing down. His ears whistled with the sounds of wind, and the horizon had no longer been a straight line with all the waves. Each wave began to grow taller in height than a person was tall, and the power in each of the waves carried a thunderous force that could topple even the mountains almost.

“If the weather wishes to change, it changes, how moody it is. Just now, it was as calm as a sleeping child, but in the blink of an eye, it has transformed into a demon.” Zhao Xinglong immediately ran back from the beach. Several steps after he had stepped onto the dry sands, the previously calm oceans had became a raging demon that swept away at everything with a power that would frighten anyone.

“Crap, Wang Chao is still in the oceans practicing! What a great storm! I can only imagine what it’s like underwater! If an accident happens, then he won’t likely recover from this!”

Zhao Xinglong suddenly remembered that Wang Chao was still underneath the waters. With the storm so great, even a single story house would be smashed apart, so what did that mean for a single person?

For the past five to six days, the weather had been calm and peaceful. Like Zhao Xinglong, Wang Chao was training every day as if it was habit. Since he was so deeply engrossed, he had not noticed the sudden changes in the weather.

Splash! Dropping into the water, Zhao Xinglong charged into the area where Wang Chao. But because the storm had been far too violent, he had been tossed about from the very moment he entered the water. Whatever horse stance, Piguaquan, Bajiquan, or Tongbeiquan would not help him here.

The storm had been as if it had the occult force of a million pounds so that no human could possibly stand it.

“Pft!” When the water entered Zhao Xinglong’s mouth, he felt a tart and fishy taste. No matter how much he struggled, it had been no use. In a flash, he was at the seabeds of the ocean. Current after current, Zhao Xinglong was smashed deeper and deeper in.

“Damn! Today is the day I die!” Zhao Xinglong felt despair in his heart. Tenaciously holding back the remaining breath he had, he desperately wanted to kick back up to the surface to breathe. But no matter where he looked, water was all that was there; there was nowhere to go to breathe.

Just at that moment, a powerful arm had grabbed hold of his arm. This hand had been like an iron hook with the Jin permeating into its muscles and marrow, causing it to be unbending to the elements.

The hand continued to grab hold of him as the owner walked across the seabed and back towards the shores. No matter how strong the currents were, it had been no different to him.

Soon, Zhao Xinglong felt a bright light attack his eyes and the pressure around him fall away and allow him to breathe. In this moment, the feeling of being born anew had begun to swell up within his mind.

As he looked to who had grabbed him, he had realized it was indeed Wang Chao.

In the other hand, Wang Chao held the mercury-filled ball. Looking at the overwhelming power of the storm in front of them, Wang Chao smiled, “This weather changes quite fast. I was nearly buried in the sand.”

“Is your martial arts that strong? In such a heavy storm, how did you walk through it as if it wasn’t even there?” Zhao Xinglong had managed to escape alive only because of Wang Chao and his grab.

“The power hidden within the water is constantly changing, but when you learn to take advantage of their power, it will be of no hindrance to you. But your inner organs aren’t that strong yet. Even if you understand the essence of this, it won’t serve you well.”

Wang Chao spun the ball around violently with a sizzling sound as the mercury inside sloshed about like a small bell. “This storm has a nice timing. With the fierce surge of the water currents now, it will be very suitable to my training. However, you still aren’t capable of entering.”

With that, Wang Chao walked back into the water.

With the storm overhead, the water beneath was surging with a hidden power that was almost as if multiple experts were breaking out with Hidden Jin. Wave after wave, the water would assault every inch of Wang Chao’s skin, whether it be his waist, chest, genitals or face.

Wang Chao continued to use the Hidden Jin in his body to anchor himself to the ground and tremble his body in a way similar to the “Rooster Ruffling Feathers”. The Hidden Jin would rush out from the pores and defend the body from the power in the currents. However, his face and genitals had still been subjected to the painful rush from the currents.

The storm had quickly gone past, allowing for the water to calm down once more. Beaten and exhausted, Wang Chao had finally walked back forth from the shores and returned to the school.

After that day, Wang Chao would return to the oceans whenever it was calm and gentle to practice underwaters. When the weather was stormy and chaotic, he would go deeper within the oceans.

Zhao Xinglong had discovered that Wang Chao’s everyday practice had changed as well. No longer did he practice the Chopping Jin of the tiger stance or the eagle stance. He hadn’t even practiced any of the sets of Xingyiquan.

Wang Chao’s everyday practice had now consisted of his hand clenching an invisible object to form a fist. When both of his arms rotated, the Jin that came forth would be as fierce as if he held two hammers in his hands as he danced.

“What discipline are you working on now?” Zhao Xinglong had asked.

“This is the five fists of Taichi, Move, Parry, and Punch! Parry and Punch! Under Elbow Punch! Lower Point Punch! Force Punch!

“At first, my martial arts was still lacking. Against an enemy, I used the movements of Baguazhang in order to find an opening. After my martial arts grew better, I was able to fight with firm grit, stability, and with Xingyiquan. Within Xingyiquan is the spear, and the way of the spear is filled with many variations to make it tricky. But with the spear, it contains many false moves, but even these false moves can just as easily become true. Against an enemy, a firm strike hides deceit. Within Taichi, it is comprised of hard Jin completely without the use of deceit, similar to Li Yuanba in the Dramatized History of Sui and Tang.”

“When fighting, strike at their courage. In a match against an enemy, if one is able to quell the courage of their enemy, then the battle is already half won. With my fists against an enemy, two punches is all it requires without any changes. All that is needed is pure hard Jin. My own courage will be bolstered, and my fist will slam into the opponent’s head.” Wang Chao smiled.

“When fighting, strike at their courage….” Zhao Xinglong seemed as if he had understood something.

Wang Chao had deliberately enlightened Zhao Xinglong and laughed, “Try it out and see.”

Stepping forward, Wang Chao’s hands extended apart. This was the “Step Forward, Move, Parry, and Punch” form. Zhao Xinglong had only felt that Wang Chao’s punch had been like the giant wave with a hidden surge of power within it. Although there had been no crisp sound, the wind the fist brought had been thunderous and made him feel unwell.

Pa! Using his own hand to intercept, Zhao Xinglong had immediately felt his blood and breath tremble in that split-second. Not understanding what had happened, his body was thrown off his feet and soared across the air as if flying.